Saturday, March 21, 2009

I have several enormous plastic buckets under my bed, chock full of brand new beauty products, as a leftover from my last Important Job. My way of dealing with the avalanche at the time was to dole out the goodies to the office, with the proviso that if I had given them something that they found to be very good they were to report back me, so that I could test it out too. I also handed out random surplus from the huge beauty drawers in my office to my assistant & to my friends, and stockpiled everything I wanted to try at home and in my desk drawers.

Of course, by the time I departed, I still had mountains left. It's been three months or so, and I am still breaking the seals on new pots of stuff. And the plus side for you lot is that I now have all the time in the world to find out what really works and report back to you, without the advertising sword of Damocles waiting to fall if I slag anything off.

I'm certainly not a label whore where skincare is concerned. My main proviso is that whatever I use doesn't aggravate my sensitive skin. I suffered from eczema as a child and now have rosacea, which means I can break out in tiny pustules at the drop of a hat, whilst still having dry & flaky skin on my forehead & cheeks. Nice.

So, I tread carefully when it comes to slathering on new creams, but I know if they work for me then they will have stellar effects on everyone else. My two latest recommends are from either end of the spectrum.

First off is Eucerin's Lipo-Balance Intensive nourishing cream for dry to very dry sensitive skin. Containing a combination of ceramide-3 and biotin, I used this small glass pot all winter as my main moisturiser on top of my various serums, and it kept my skin supple & hydrated with very few breakouts. (I didn't use it if I was outdoors for any period of time as it is SPF6, & I prefer an SPF of at least 15). Only problem is I can't seem to find any suppliers for it, and I can't remember whether it came from the US or UK publicist. Oops. Really helpful, me.

RéVive Moisturizing Renewal Cream, my superstar night cream, is fearfully expensive ($165 - but can be got cheaper on-line). I do not recommend the pricey stuff lightly, but it really is that good. It was developed by plastic surgeon Dr. Gregory Bays Brown after he had seen the cosmetic potential for a bio-engineered molecule called EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor, whose discovering scientist won the 1986 Nobel Prize) that, when applied to burns and wounds, dramatically accelerated healing in all patients tested. Dr Bays Brown patented EGF for cosmetic use and developed the skin care line that became RéVive.

A quick squint through the ingredients shows the usual antioxidants and moisturising &/or water retaining skin care suspects (squalene, allantoin, shea butter, sodium hyaluronate, dimethecone, various vegetable & fruit oils, glycerin) as well as EGF and glycolic acid (an AHA) which exfoliates the skin. Upon application there is a slight tingle from the acid (which would be my normal sign to scrub the whole lot away before my sensitive face burned off), but the tingle was momentary, and the next morning my flakiness had disappeared.

Two weeks later and I'm kind of gob-smacked: my skin really is glowing. The makers would claim that the cream eliminates imperfections and decreases the overall appearance of fine lines, but I would say merely that my skin has never felt so soft. Overall it really does seem to do what it promises: deliver a luminous & firm complexion. Again, I cannot remember which publicist sent me this (forgive me, all delivery records stayed in the office when I left)- but thank you!

Tweet Tweet! One of The Top 20 Fashion Twitterers @libertylndngirl

Twitter Updates

The 20 Best Fashion Blogs"This girl blogs on everything from the fashion world’s prejudice against big busts to last night’s bad date, all with a big dollop of very British humour. If you’ve ever wondered what it must be like to live a real-life version of The Devil Wears Prada, this is probably it."

"Liberty London Girl is one of The Online Fashion 100It features the 100 most influential entrepreneurs, bloggers, marketers, photographers, ecommerce managers and editors working in the UK's online fashion industry."

One of the 100 Best Blogs in the World"Rather like having your own (real) version of The Devil Wears Prada as a blog. An anonymous 20-something Brit working as the fashion director of a New York-based glossy gives the lowdown on what her glamorous life is really like. Both self-deprecating and outspoken, it’s a tonic if you suspect Sex and the City is all a big lie."

The magazine from "Unlike other style blogs that can verge on the predictable and the superficial - readers of Liberty London Girl's blog can follow her musings that clearly demonstrate that style is more than a one-dimensional clichè in heels."

DISCLAIMER

Most of the images on this blog have been shot by me. If I use alternate sources for photography or for illustration, I always try to credit where the original source is known. If I have either failed to credit accurately or someone wishes an image to be removed from this blog, I will gladly comply.

The thing I miss most about England...

Some Small Print...on ships & sealing wax & cabbages & kings

As a journalist in the real world, I operate LLG on the same principles. I do not accept money from advertisers to write about product, and I have never & will never post paid-for or sponsored content, reviews or SEO links on LLG in exchange for money or for product.

I am always happy to receive relevant press releases & samples of product, on the understanding that not everything I receive will make it into copy and that I will write my unbiased opinion.I also reserve the right not to post a review.(Yup, I'm thinking of Mr Perricone's people who never replied back after I said I wldn't guarantee to write about or be nice about his face cream.)

It's fun to run competitions & giveaways on LLG, so do please suggest them. But bear in mind I'm only going to give away beauty product that I've tried & tested, or for items or experiences for which I can vouch. Otherwise this is just free advertising for godknowswhat product to which I am giving my brand approval.And why exactly why would I want to risk my reputation?

I will not take part in trials, forums or questionnaires for product marketing purposes without payment for my time & expertise. I resent publicity & marketing firms trying to take advantage of bloggers’ generosity of time & spirit and want no part in their strategies.(Yes, Red Consultancy I'm thinking of you .)

I do not run ads on my site, but this may change in the future.I am also open to advertising contra deals.(Especially if they concern bags or shoes).Please contact me if you would like to discuss advertising or contras further.

I have recently joined two Affiliate Marketing partners to explore AM as a revenue stream for LLG, as currently I give my time for free. However I have no plans to run affiliate banners or buttons on this site, bar the single button for Amazon which is currently in place, as I believe affiliate marketing of this kind is, essentially, free advertising for brands.(You wanna run an ad? Contact me & we'll talk turkey)

Any AM activity on this site will be by way of deep-linking. As regular readers know, I often recommend items I like in posts on LLG. These recommendations are free from monetary concerns, and represent my own honest opinion, unalloyed by any commercial decision. For ease of use of my readers I have always linked, where available, to an on-line provider, usually picked at random from Google.

As of today, Sept 22, 2009, the on-line links that I provide to product I mention in copy will sometimes, but not always, be to companies with whom I have a small commission based agreement. (The so-called ‘deep-linking’.)This arrangement will have no effect on my unbiased editorial opinion and, as now, no content will be driven by these considerations.

There will be no additional cost to consumers, as all commission costs are born by the brands. (If I have to provide a link to the product, why not one from which I can benefit? In most cases it will simply be a case of say Amazon over Borders, or Boots over Lookfantastic...it has no bearing on the product recommended).

Any opinions expressed by any guest bloggers or commentators are theirs and theirs alone and are not to be considered representative of the opinions of the blog owner.